The Washington critic., 1887-04-09
ENGLANp,s IRISH POLICY

1t was stated by John Boyle o Reilly
In an anti. coercion speech at Boston
the other night, and probably there Is
no man in the country better Informed
on the subject, that, at low estimate,
half million dollars were sent from
Boston every year and million dollars
from New York by the Irish citizens
of those cities to their friends and
relatives In Ireland; mot" said the
eloquent speaker, ito make their
homes happy or TO make the people
comfortable, but to pay to save their
lives, to save their little shelters, to
keep the roofs over their heads"
There could hardly be more i'm.
pressive-even startling, arraignment
of England's misrule in the Green Isle.
The statistics quoted by Mr.. O'Reilly
representing the generous gifts Of only
two American cities ont Of many cor.
rcspondingly generous, would seem
calculated to bring blush to the cheek
Of every statesman or legislator of
Great Britain who is In any wise re.
sponsible for prolonging a system Of
pauperism that is simply kept above
starvation point by charitable contri.
buttons from abroad.
1t is useless 10 say that the Irish peo.
pie are poor because of their own idle
ness or thriftlessness. 1t is not the
priest who pauperizes them. 1t Is not
the soil that refuses to bring forth sub.
sistence. 1t is not the sun that with
holds its warmth or the clouds that
cheat the earth of refreshing rains. 1t
is the curse of landlordism that makes
mockery of their religion, that monop.
olizes the soil to its own Increment,
that holds perpetual mortgage on even
the sun and the rain. This Is what i'm
poverishes the people Of Ireland, robs
them of every opportunity to better
themselves, reduces them to the verge
Of beggary and insurrection, ma kes
life one long desperate struggle against
eviction and compels them to depend
upon the charity of the United States
10 keep themselves out of the poor.
house.
If It Is sound craftsmanship on the
part of England to maintain this con.
dition Of things, when by simple act
of legislation that the whole civilized
world would applaud 1t might make of
Ireland free and prosperous country,
we confess our inability to so under
stand 1t; we find no vindication of 1t
in lreland's past history.
What the citizens of the District of
Columbia think of this sort of states.
manship, and especially of the new
Coercion bill, will be made known at a
mass meeting to be held at Masonic
Temple next Thursday evening,
TIE Presidents construction of his
duties under the Retaliation bill, as in,
dica,ed by his letter to President
Steele of the American Fishery Union
at Gloucester, Mass, Is, that If ar
emergency arises calling for an en-
forcement of the law, he will see tina
the non. intercourse for which II pro
vides is thoroughly carried out but he
will not make limited or partial ap
plication of 1t for the special benefit Of
the fisheries or any other single in
terest.
II Is FORTUNATE perhaps that the
law relative to the appointment of Dis
trict Commissioners was so amended as
TO require their selection from residents
of the District. Otherwise the obsolete
law relative to Sunday observance
might never have been uneatthed
Commissioners not 10 the manner
born-not reared in such Puritault
atmosphere-would never have smelt |
out.
THE District Commissioners seem t.
have overlooked the fact that, undel
the old Blue Law regime, the Sabbath
day commenced at sun.down Saturday
night. II the law is to be enforced a
oil lat u ba aufaroad In ttu antira,y